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After Chicago Debut, Hyundai i30 N Racer Heads to Austin for Pirelli World Challenge

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Hyundai's latest motorsports initiative aims to promote the new N performance brand

2018 Chicago Auto Show news Hyundai motorsports event presentation i30n TCR Perelli World Challenge Bryan Herta

A lot of exciting news came from Hyundai‘s press conference this morning at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show. In addition to announcing the expansion of the Hyundai Shoppers Assurance program nationwide and the promotion of the brand’s non-profit Hyundai Hope on Wheels (which was featured in a recent Super Bowl commercial), Chief Marketing Officer Dean Evans talked at length about the redesigned 2018 Sonata Hybrid.

What interested us more, and was certainly the highlight of the presentation, was the announcement on Hyundai’s entrance into the world of motorsports.

Hyundai Will Enter Pirelli World Challenge Beginning at Austin Circuit

2018 Chicago Auto Show news Hyundai motorsports event presentation i30n TCR Perelli World Challenge Evans specs

Flanked by the Veloster N (which debuted last month in Detroit) and the redesigned Sonata Hybrid, Evans emphasized Hyundai’s growing efforts to instill high-performance capabilities in its vehicles. As evidenced by the Veloster N, the first American entry in Hyundai’s newly-launched N performance sub-brand, the Korean automaker aims to make an impact at a segment of the industry that it hasn’t previously.

2018 Chicago Auto Show news Hyundai motorsports event presentation i30n TCR Perelli World Challenge race carAs the next step in this mission, Hyundai will be joining the motorsports community. With what vehicle, might you ask?

Hyundai yanked off the cover on its special race vehicle, the i30 N TCR. This 350-horsepower compact racer will participate in the touring class of the Pirelli World Challenge beginning in the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.  For the automaker’s inaugural participation in this series of events, the Bryan Herta Auto Sport team will lead the i30 N and its owners to victory.

“Hyundai is thrilled about the prospects for our new N branded racing team competing in the Touring Car Racing class of Pirelli World Challenge,” said Dean Evans. “Our new partnership with world-renowned Bryan Herta Autosport and their phenomenal drivers coupled with the proven capabilities of our Hyundai i30 N racers puts us in a great position for success in the 2018 TCR season.”

Hyundai’s officials and race team are feeling confident in the capability of the i30n TCR and the future of Hyundai’s N brand. Hopefully this newly-launched effort will create the buzz the brand needs.

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